As the country marks the 26th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power that brought down a corrupt regime, President Benigno Aquino III on Friday urged Filipinos to continue the fight against corrupt officials.
"Recent events will show the fight that we started during the first People Power is not yet over. We need your help," Aquino said in his speech during the turnover of 1,500 housing units for military and police personnel in Cavite.
"Will we allow ourselves to be fooled by greedy and corrupt officials who want to cling to power?" he added, without mentioning Chief Justice Renato Corona, whom he assailed in his past speeches.
In an interview with reporters after the event, Aquino said the evidence presented so far against Corona might already warrant a conviction.
He also defended prosecutors who had been castigated by several senators for filing a flawed impeachment complaint and for submitting fake documents to the Senate.
"The prosecution have done really well. They have managed to unearth properties that were not declared in the Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (of Corona)," the President said.
Aquino cited the "difficulties" faced by the House prosecutors, including their inability to access Corona's Statements of Assets, Liablities, and Networth, which he said were kept hidden in a vault.
Asked to comment on the setback suffered by the prosecution this week after Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile disallowed the presentation of witnesses for Article 3, Aquino said the fight was not yet over.
"There is still Article 7. And out of the eight articles, you only have to convict him (Corona) in one," he said.
Article 3 of the impeachment complaint against Corona pertains to the chief justice's alleged flip-flopping on decisions that were already final and executory.
Article 7 accuses Corona of partiality when he and the other justices of the Supreme Court granted former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of a temporary restraining order that would allow her to leave the country.
Meanwhile, a Palace officla said on Friday that the Aquino administration remains committed to the promises of the Edsa People Power Revolution.
“As we remember the historic events of People Power, so too must we remember the promise of Edsa – the promise of true democracy, of a government that renders meaningful public service, and of a country in which power lies in the hands of the common citizen,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement.
To fulfill the promises of Edsa, Valte said the administration would continue to work to achieve inclusive growth and ensure an effective justice system for all.
The reforms put in place by the Aquino government have already yielded results and it will continue to work to weed out corruption, she added.
Valte said the government would remain focussed on improving public access to social services, quality health and education, and other opportunities for advancement.
“As we continue to work for the benefit of the Filipino people, we call on our countrymen, especially the youth, never to forget the legacy that People Power has given us. Out of the dark days of Martial Law, where greed and abusive power ruled, the world witnessed the extraordinary solidarity, courage and conviction of the Filipino people that led to the peaceful ousting of a dictator and the reclaiming of a nation’s democracy,” she said.
She also called on Filipinos to become part of strengthening the country’s democracy and ensure that the country continues to progress and achieve the vision of a Philippines in which no one is left behind.
Aquino will lead on Saturday morning the 26th anniversary celebration of the Edsa People Power Revolution at the People Power Monument in Quezon City.
The President is also scheduled to unveil the statue of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin in Manila, one of the major figures during the Edsa Revolution.
The theme for this year’s celebration will be “Ano ang Iyong Taya Para sa Pilipinas Natin?”
Source:
interaksyon.com
